DEGIRO and Spreadex operate along several similar paths, except for one major difference: DEGIRO is a traditional stockbroker, and Spreadex is a London-based spread betting and sports betting firm, which added forex and CFD at a later date. Both are regulated by the FCA and compete in the European market, but their basic business approaches differ significantly.
Investing involves risks. You can lose (a part of) your deposit. We advise you to only invest in financial products which match your knowledge and experience.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 64% of retail investors lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. For professional clients, spread betting and CFD trading can result in losses larger than your initial stake or deposit.
If you are searching for an online stockbroker that believes in low costs at every turn, then DEGIRO might be the one for you. On the other hand, if you want a low-cost provider in the forex/CFD/spread betting space, then Spreadex may be better suited for you. DEGIRO is large, but with Spreadex, you have a small boutique firm that has catered to spread betting in the UK. DEGIRO claims 2 million+ satisfied customers, while 60,000 spread bettors call Spreadex home.
As our Degiro broker review explains, the broker began in Amsterdam in 2013 as a national stock brokerage firm. It has since expanded and earned a reputation for producing the lowest-cost model for the traditional buying and selling of financial instruments online. It was recently acquired by flatex AG, another major European stockbroker and owner of a bank. The parent is traded on the SDAX exchange in Germany. The group is now the leader in the European Economic Area (EEA) for low costs and tight spreads for online stockbrokers.
The origins of Spreadex date back to 1999 just outside of London in St Albans. It wears two hats, first as a spread betting and sports betting company complying with the UK Gambling Commission, and secondly as a forex and CFD trading entity regulated by the FCA. It also takes pride in being a low-cost provider, and its offerings are timely in the UK, where the FCA has put a hold on retail CFD trading. Spread betting has tax benefits, but it may not be available in your jurisdiction.
Neither DEGIRO nor Spreadex has a stated minimum deposit, but the latter is willing in some cases to provide a £2,000 line of credit. Funding a DEGIRO account can only be done with a direct deposit or wire transfer. Spreadex is similar, but it also accepts bank cards and direct electronic deposits, though no third-party payment processors.
Both DEGIRO and Spreadex are committed to low fees. DEGIRO provides access to 50+ global exchanges, some of which do pass along charges for access. Aside from these small fees, which are standard, you will not be charged for deposits or withdrawals, and there is no inactivity fee.
Spreadex follows a similar path on fees, but it reserves the right to charge a small fee for deposits or withdrawals below £50 or for wire transfers. Overnight fees do apply to forex pairs held overnight at Spreadex. DEGIRO does not offer retail forex trading.
DEGIRO does support trading on the margin of up to 5:1, depending upon a percentage of the equity position in your account. As retail forex trading is not supported, there is no leverage. The big draw at DEGIRO is the absence of commissions and the presence of very tight spreads.
Leverage at Spreadex conforms to FCA sanctions. The highest level of 30:1 applies to major forex pairs and declines from that level. Spreadex also has a reputation for tight spreads. The popular EUR/USD pair may start at 0.4 pips and average at 0.6 pips, for example.
Both DEGIRO and Spreadex prefer a simpler approach for account relationships – they each offer a single trading account, such that there is no discrimination of service, fees or spreads based on activity or size of account balance.
From the start, DEGIRO has always been devoted to internally developed software to support its stockbrokerage business. It is tailored to its product offering and provides access to multiple exchanges across the globe. Its trading platform and mobile app have won numerous awards for their usability and effectiveness.
From its origins as a spread betting and sports betting firm, Spreadex has also had to rely upon internally developed software to enable its customer base to trade its product line. Its web and mobile apps have won awards, and they are said to resemble MT4.
DEGIRO offers access to 50+ global exchanges with thousands of financial instruments. These items include stocks, ETFs, leveraged products, bonds, options and futures. Only professionals can trade forex with options and futures, and trading in cryptocurrencies can only result from ETFs devoted to a blend of programs in their portfolio.
In addition to sports betting and spread betting with Spreadex, you may trade forex pairs and CFDs for a host of shares, ETFs, indices, bonds and commodities. The portfolio breadth falls within industry averages. Crypto trading is limited to professionals by FCA mandate.
Neither DEGIRO nor Spreadex offers a free demo platform.
Is DEGIRO or Spreadex the better fit for you? The Dutch DEGIRO subsidiary is part of a large banking and stock brokerage behemoth, while Spreadex is a boutique forex/CFD/spread betting broker based outside of London. DEGIRO is about buying and owning directly, while Spreadex is about purchasing derivatives without having to own the underlying asset. Each broker is committed to low costs and is heavily regulated, but a comparison will come down to how you wish to invest and what products will be your focus of interest.